LockCircle, a $100 Body Cap for Canon

$100 for a camera body cap. Need we say more?

Is there any part of a camera system that can’t be gussied up and sold for a huge markup? Of course not. And today we have the latest candidate for the cash of over-monied photographers: the $100 body-cap for Canon SLRs.

The cap, called the LockCircle, is a circular chunk of aluminum which twists snugly into the open lens mount of any Canon EF-mount SLR. In this manner it mimics exactly the function of the free plastic cap that came with the camera.

But that’s not all. The LockCircle comes in three finishes: titanium, black or clear, and its knurled and dimpled styling makes your camera look like an old-fashioned dial telephone.

I kid. There is a serious purpose for this over-engineered chunk of metal. Those knurls and dimples, along with its deep profile, mean you can screw and unscrew the thing with gloves on. Supposedly the cap protects the interior of the camera from dust and rain in fierce weather.

You can see the problems immediately, right? First, you may be able to change the lens while wearing gloves (assuming you can get the cheap plastic rear cap off the lens itself), but you won’t actually be able to operate the camera. Second, if the weather is so extreme that you can’t take off your gloves for a few seconds, then it’s probably not a good idea to open up your weather-sealed camera to the elements, letting the grit and rain blow in onto the sensor.

Third, it costs $100. That’s enough to buy you a second-hand 50mm lens. Why not just use that as a body-cap. A body cap that you can use to take a photo instantly, instead of after a cap-and-lens-juggling struggle?

I’m sure there’s somebody reading this who still wants one. the link is below. I hope you enjoy it. You can keep it next to your Titanium Leica M9 (just $29,000).